RCM strengthens it’s façade sales team

RCM, Roofing and Cladding Materials Ltd, specialists in complete through wall solutions, are pleased to announce the appointment of Ricky Beadle as Regional Facades Sales Manager for the south of England with immediate effect.

The appointment follows an ever increasing demand for RCM to supply specialist external facades to the UK construction industry. Ricky Beadle joins from FGF Ltd and brings more than 14 years’ experience of the industry to RCMs growing facades division.

Ricky is extremely knowledgeable on modern building façade systems and knows how to build trusting and lasting relationships with customers. Working alongside an already successful facades team he will be reporting to Ian Quinton, Managing Director of RCM.

Commenting on the new appointment, Ian Quinton said: “Ricky brings a wealth of experience to the position and has a passion for the industry, something which is immediately evident in his personality. He is outgoing and extremely genuine and approachable.

RCM are looking to increase solutions for our customers and grow our market share in offering a great variety of specialist building facades. This is something I believe Ricky will significantly contribute to.

We believe Ricky will embrace RCM’s vision wholeheartedly and we all welcome our newest member with great enthusiasm.”

Ricky commented: “I have been impressed with RCM and believe in the company’s vision for the future. My experience will help support and advance the facades division of RCM and I am looking forward to building great long-lasting working relationships with new and existing customers on behalf of the company.”

For more information please visit www.buildingboards.co.uk
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Rinnai appoints new Sales Consultant in London

Rinnai, the UK’s leading supplier of hot water heating units and systems for all commercial and residential sites, has appointed Lewis McLeggan as Sales Consultant for the London area.

Lewis, who lives in West London, holds a BA (Hons) in Business & Marketing and joins Rinnai with a wealth of industrial experience and knowledge.

“London and the South East are major areas of growth for the whole range of Rinnai hot water heating products, systems and ancillaries. This appointment is in line with our commitment to continuously invest in our human resources in order to deliver customer service excellence,” says Rinnai Managing Director Tony Gittings.

For more details on RINNAI products visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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RCM announces the latest addition to their already successful operations

RCM, a major supplier of complete through wall solutions opens up a new chapter in their business growth.

Continuous investment has seen RCM grow their capabilities and their reputation as a reliable supplier resulting in an ever growing customer and project base.

As well as RCM’s complete through wall solutions and building board offerings, their growing facades division has equally bolstered business. Today, RCM are delighted to announce the latest addition to their already successful operations – a new Sigma SCM Impact 90 Beam saw and a new Palamatic mechanical lifting device, both installed at RCM’s main fabrication unit.

The new Sigma SCM Impact 90 Beam saw, as well as the Palamatic mechanical lift device have allowed RCM to double their fabrication capacity overnight.

The highly-efficient panel saw with its 90mm saw blade projection, as well as the Palamatic mechanical lifting device ensures a safer operation for both people and materials.

Further, as the saw is specified with a laser line, RCM are even able to offer cutting custom decorative print and raked panels for their customers. These extra capabilities are also sure to encourage additional enquiries in due time.

In order to keep up with the demand for supply and fabrication of facades in particular, RCM have not just invested in new machinery but have also hosted a special recruitment drive, increasing their workforce in order to successfully handle new projects and opportunities in the future.

Ian Quinton, Managing Director RCM said “Once again RCM are in a good position to offer our customers a highly efficient service by increasing our ability to fabricate even more boards and facades than ever before.

Our recent successful recruitment drive has also benefitted RCM by adding extra staff, who are highly experienced in their respective roles. As our business grows, we look forward to
an exciting future ahead.”

For more details call 0800 612 4662 or email info@rcmltd.biz.
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Weber targets offsite construction with launch of rapid drying basecoat render

Saint-Gobain Weber, the recognised manufacturer of innovative high performance products, systems and technologies for the construction industry, has launched weberend LAC rapid, a super-fast drying version of the established and successful weberend LAC. This basecoat render with meshcloth reinforcement, plays an essential role in a number of Weber insulation systems including webertherm XM lightweight External Wall Insulation (EWI), and weberend MT, a multi-coat render system. The substantially reduced drying time of this new and improved formulation also makes weberend LAC rapid ideal for offsite construction.

Similar in specification and coverage to weberend LAC, a product used extensively by key contractors and render applicators, the rapid drying characteristics of weberend LAC rapid typically reduces drying time from 72 to 24 hours. The use of weberend LAC rapid actually eliminates the application of weber PR310 primer which itself contributes to a 24 hour saving in the overall application and drying process.

“So what this means for our customers is that construction projects will be finished much sooner so reducing the time of busy and experienced applicators on site; they’ll see significant savings in expensive construction kit such as scaffolding and heavy equipment, and collectively making valuable project efficiencies, faster completion and subsequent payments,” says Tracey Dempster, head of marketing, Saint-Gobain Weber. “Importantly the offsite construction sector will value this product which will contribute to faster application and completion of buildings that are largely factory made. As the use of modular frame construction is growing, our weberend MT system used in combination with weberend LAC rapid, will achieve remarkable delivery which is vital to the industry.”

weberend LAC rapid is similar in texture and weight to the original product, offering low mass for reduced shear load. It is polymer modified for high bond strength and achieves a smooth finish quickly and economically. weberend LAC rapid is white, rather than the grey of weberend LAC, presenting yet another benefit of a colour neutral base in preparation for receiving the decorative finish without the use of a primer. The new formulation of weberend LAC rapid makes it ideal for winter working as its quick setting capacity helps to reduce the impact of long periods of low temperatures and wet conditions.

Weber renders are manufactured in the UK ensuring efficient availability and lead times, adding to the company’s environmental and sustainability policies, reduced CO₂ emissions and transportation costs.

For more information about this product, or for technical support including award winning training courses, please contact Saint-Gobain Weber on 08703 330 070, or visit www.netweber.co.uk.
A free download of the Weber App for iPhone and iPad users is also available from iTunes and from Google Play for Android smartphones and tablet users. Follow Saint-Gobain Weber on Twitter @SGWeberUK for the latest company news and updates.
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Rinnai – On Yer Bike to raise money for British Heart Foundation

Rinnai, the UK leader in hot water heating units and systems for all commercial and residential sites, has raised several thousand pounds for the British Heart Foundation with its staff team completing the recent London to Brighton Bike Ride.

The Rinnai team was part of the huge 15,000 plus set of enthusiasts cycling the 54-mile course to raise money for the BHF.

No one came first, and no one came last, “We don’t care if you come first or last – if you take part, then you’re a BHF champion,“ said the charity.

The London to Brighton Bike Ride is the British Heart Foundation’s flagship event starting from Clapham Common in London and finishing on the Brighton Seafront.

“We trained hard for the event, but it is still a long, tough ride if you are not a dedicated cyclist – but the whole Rinnai team finished. Conquering Turners Hill and the steep Ditchling Beacon are really quite serious achievements!” says Rinnai Managing Director Tony Gittings.

“It was fantastic – and a relief – to reach the finish line and be greeted with loud applause and then we had our own celebratory party after where we got our collective breath back!”
Rinnai produces the widest and most comprehensive range of continuous flow water heating systems and units for the commercial marketplace.

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com.
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Vortice rallies round!

2018 will see Vortice UK join the British rallying calendar, sponsoring S&S rallying team, in a high speed rallying adventure! The S&S rallying team is made up of driver Elliott Stafford and navigator Lewis Sim. Driver Elliott, 22 has been inspired by driving since a young age and will be heavily reliant upon his teammate Lewis, 25 who has the very difficult job of not only navigating but also instructing on where to turn and what lies ahead. The pair who met a year ago at a previous race are both enthusiastic about the rally and excited to gain valuable driving experience.

On June 24th the team will compete in the Red Kite Stages 2018 rally in the Neath Valley, South Wales. The route will include stages that have not been used since Wales Rally GB in 2012 and all the stages will be in NRW forests. The route covers five special stages and covers 45 stage miles in a very compact route, taking in less than 70 road miles and the start will be on hard standing close to Neath town centre.

National Sales Manager Paul Gunner said “I will be attending the race and cheering Elliott and Lewis on! Vortice Italy sponsors the BP Swiss Rally Team so this is a natural extension to our Group sponsorship programme.”

For more information about Vortice and its products, visit www.vortice.ltd.uk.
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New online tool helps designers with HIU specification

Evinox are excited to announce the launch of the ModuSat® Heat Interface Unit Online Selector. Available via the Evinox Energy website, this intuitive tool recommends the ideal HIU(s) for a district or communal heat network development, based on project parameters entered by the user

With over 15 years of experience in the design and manufacture of interface units for heat network systems, Evinox created the Selector with M&E consultants in mind, aiming to provide a tool that is easy to use, and can help with sizing and selection whilst saving time for the specifier.

Helen Gibbons, Evinox Technical and Design Manager comments: “This unique new tool is an extension of the Evinox Heat Network Design Guide that is used by many M&E consultants in the UK. It draws on Evinox’s experience sizing HIU’s for numerous communal heating projects, and also recommendations from the Swedish District Heating Association Technical Provisions F:101, Danish Standard 439 and the CIBSE CP1 – Heat Networks: Code of Practice for the UK ”

“In addition to the heat interface unit sizing and selection functionality, our new tool provides heating and hot water technical performance information specific to the users’ project, complete with Low Temperature Hot Water (LTHW) calculations for the whole heat network, which can act as a useful guide for the design and specification process.”

A well as all the functionality detailed, the user can also save unit selections and calculations for each project and come back at any time to access or edit them or to create a new selection, making this a really useful resource for consultants.

Find out how the ModuSat® Selector can help with the specification of heat interface units and try it out by visiting selector.evinoxenergy.co.uk or contact Evinox at technical.email@evinox.co.uk for further information.
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Saint-Gobain Weber helps to ease Dublin’s student accommodation shortage

(image courtesy of Bennett Construction)

webertherm XM, the lightweight External Wall Insulation (EWI) system by Saint-Gobain Weber, has been specified for a new-build development in the heart of Dublin.

Providing accommodation for 471 students, the Binary Hub, Dublin’s largest Purpose Built Student Accommodation, will ease pressure on the city’s student housing shortage.

The Binary Hub was opened in 2016 by the Student Housing Company working with main contractor Bennett Construction Limited, an international family owned business with offices and projects in Dublin, London, Germany and Abu Dhabi. The luxury development provides ‘cluster apartments’ with between 4 – 8 bedrooms and ensuite shower rooms. In the heart of the city it is well placed to serve Trinity College and the National College of Art & Design. The building has been meticulously designed to ensure it is stylish, safe and convenient. The accommodation is complete with all facilities including a gym, laundry, study rooms, bike store, landscaped gardens and 24-hour maintenance and security support. The Binary Hub is owned and managed by aparto student, a new student housing group launched in January 2017.

Working within the requirements of current Irish construction regulations, Bennett Construction took the opportunity to work with a number of innovative materials and systems. This included using a Sandwich Panel System (SPS) for the main structure. SPS features two steel plates bonded with a core of insulation.

Fabricated off-site and cut and shaped to fine tolerances, the SPS panels are craned swiftly into place and bolted to the structural steelwork. SPS is approved by many regulatory authorities and used in a wide variety of industrial and commercial structures. The SPS system is much lighter and faster to erect than reinforced concrete; has a lower carbon footprint and offers enhanced insulation properties.

SPS wall and flooring panels were used in the construction of the Binary Hub with webertherm XM external wall insulation system applied to the façade, achieving a high quality, cost efficient build, with improved speed of construction and high thermal performance.

The application of webertherm XM has contributed to a striking, stylish and modern appearance to the Binary Hub and will make a significant contribution to the creation of a high performance and sustainable building.

The application of BBA and NSAI Agrément accredited webertherm XM EWI system provides efficient thermal insulation. In this project Weber calculated a high energy efficient target U-Value of 0.16W/m²K, with the render coat and decorative finish offering a durable, water shedding capacity to protect the building fabric. The system specified 140mm mineral fibre insulation applied to the SPS system which has been covered with a 6mm meshcloth reinforced coat of weberend LAC, a polymer-modified, cement-based mortar. This is applied in two passes before weber PR310 primer is applied, followed by webersil TF decorative finish to achieve a textured render finish in Chalk.

“A project of this scale hasn’t been constructed in Ireland in a number of years,” explains Michael Keogh, contracts manager, Bennett Construction. “And building student accommodation to such a high standard makes a very positive statement in the industry, and will bring benefits to so many.”

The project, with tight boundaries, was not without its challenges. The site is one of archaeological significance and Bennett’s had to accommodate and manage a team of archaeologists allowing full excavation of the ruins of a distillery dating back to the 1700’s. The foundations, which date from 1750-1820, of one of the biggest distilleries of its time were uncovered, recorded and photographed. The site was excavated to its original levels in readiness for the construction of the Binary Hub.

For more information about this project, or for technical support including award winning training courses, please contact Saint-Gobain Weber on 08703 330 070, or visit www.netweber.co.uk.
A free download of the Weber App for iPhone and iPad users is also available from iTunes and from Google Play for Android smartphones and tablet users. Follow Saint-Gobain Weber on Twitter @SGWeberUK for the latest company news and updates.
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Opening the door to contemporary colour

A new approach to creating beautiful designer doors with an original colour aesthetic is now possible thanks to the new W-Tec 3D+ hinge by SFS.

This ground-breaking hinge allows designers to rethink the visual impact of the hinge within the doorset, providing the option to colour contrast for bold aesthetics, or harmonise the hinge’s colour to complement the door and frame.

European designed and built, W-Tec 3D+ is a highly engineered premium quality hinge which offers unparalleled levels of stability and three-dimensional mechanical adjustability to enable precise installation and long-term reliability. It can also be used for fire doors with a rating of up to 60 minutes, subject to appropriate doorset testing.

It is the perfect solution for aesthetically-led heavyweight timber doors up to 200kg in weight which are fitted into timber or steel frames and are typically suited to high-end commercial, hospitality and residential applications. The scope of applications for doorsets built with W-Tec 3D+ hinges is expanding all the time, with luxury hotels in Mallorca and Turkey just two of the projects which are already benefiting.

SFS manufactures W-Tec 3D+ hinges in any RAL colour to deliver a visually stunning result in contrast or for colour match. Two versions are available for standard and slim doors, both providing reliable stability and durability through SFS’s unique patented 7-axis kinematic mechanism. This utilises three levers to handle the weight of the door in an innovative way which keeps the door straight and prevents elliptical movement when opening and closing. The result is minimum wear and tear, even when door closers are fitted, over a long service life.

W-Tec 3D+ is part of a range of high performance door hinges by SFS which provide solutions for every kind of door. This includes the Easy 3D hinge, a stainless steel hinge range that is popular amongst timber door manufacturers and installers across Europe because of the high degree of mechanically adjustability it offers in three dimensions whilst fitted in situ.

For PVC-U, aluminium and composite doors, SFS is renowned for its Dynamic hinge ranges which help create high performance rebated doorsets thanks to their profile-specific sash plates.

Find out more about the SFS door hinges range at www.sfsintec.co.uk.
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‘Smart Design’ boxes ward off the legionella threat

Chris Goggin of Rinnai looks at how smart design and control options can design out legionella proliferation

Legionella control and risk avoidance thereof are top of the list when designing heating and hot water systems.

The whole supply chain – manufacturers and distributors through contractors to end-users – need to plan and design systems to eliminate the risk of Legionella. It is one area where avoidance and prevention are the only sensible action to take to avoid problems further down the road.

Our modern lifestyle demands that hot water is available on tap at any time, day or night. So how can installers and designers reduce the fear of Legionella breaking out – and give peace of mind to customers and end-users?

Quite simple – limit the volume of storage on your hot water system.

A glance through the Health & Safety Executive ‘Approved Code of Practice’ highlights the vast amount of detailed maintenance needed to keep a stored hot water system Legionella free; the level of work involved is time consuming, expensive and must be adhered to religiously.

According to the HSE stored hot water systems present an enhanced risk for the proliferation of Legionella, especially at the base of calorifiers where the incoming water merges with the existing hot water.

Legionella bacteria multiply where temperatures are between 20-45°C. Water at the base of the calorifier is liable to collect sedimented organic and mineral deposits, which support bacterial growth, including Legionella, which is then distributed throughout the system.

To ensure total safety, therefore, the whole water contents of the calorifier, including at the base, must be heated to a temperature of 60˚C for one hour each day.

A lot of these problems are solved by choosing to install a continuous flow hot water heating system. With a gas-fired continuous flow system there is no cylinder to cause problems because the cold water enters the water heater directly from the mains and is immediately heated to advisory levels.

With Rinnai continuous flow units water temperature for distribution is accurate to ±1˚C. The fact that there is no stratification as there is no storage ensures permanent even temperature. There is no requirement to heat a volume of water just to ensure the elimination of Legionella bacteria as the minimum temperature that a continuous flow unit achieves exceeds advisory levels.

However, when considering design parameters that incorporate secondary return systems pipework and dead legs can act as water storage. ACOP L8 (Legionella Guidance) highlights that (continuous forms of instantaneous) systems installed close to the point of use have a greatly reduced risk of legionella proliferation. Despite this in many instances commercial applications are designed around a secondary hot water return.

So, when the taps or shower heads stop running, after use, the pipework will be full of cooling water capable of breeding Legionella bacteria; therefore you do have stored water and appropriate safeguards must be put in place.

So, what is a smart design consideration to eliminate any risk of Legionella bacteria multiplying in a hot water system without keeping water circulating constantly at 60 degrees? The technology is available in the form of smart controls linked to the water heating system, inside which is a timer channel programme and a temperature controller. The timer will over-ride the temperature control for a short period and then revert back to safe levels. This combination allows for safe running of water at 42°C core temperature during the day and thermal shock the system at 60°C intermittently at times when the building is not in use. By the time the building opens again, core temperature is back down to 42°C for safe use.

Some parts of the hot water system, such as rarely used shower heads or terminal fittings, will require regular maintenance and frequent checks to ensure the hot water system is operating correctly.

It is a very simple technology that takes advantage of innate high-tech controls within the water heater, it eliminates risk from Legionella bacteria and is ideal for use in care homes, hospitals and sports clubs – any large or small scale site.

 

For more information on the RINNAI product range visit www.rinnaiuk.com
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